The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to sign linebacker Anthony Hitchens to a deal worth $9 million per year. This is according to Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport broke the news on the meanest streets there is (Twitter):

A former fourth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, Anthony Hitchens can play in most defensive fronts and play a few different versions of his position. He's set to move from the Cowboys' 4-3 defense to the Chiefs' 3-4.

Last season, Hitchens suffered a tibial plateau fracture in the Dallas Cowboys' final preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. At the time, it was projected he would miss up to eight games, but the talented linebacker only missed four.

Hitchens' signing is consistent with the Chiefs' mandate to get younger this offseason. They've already shed a host of veterans on the defensive side of the ball after cutting linebackers Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali, as well as safety Ron Parker.

Hitchens' addition will give the Chiefs another talented young linebacker to play alongside Reggie Ragland up the middle as they look to fill the gap left by Johnson. He should also help shore up the Chiefs' leaky run defense, which ranked just 25th in the league last season.

Kansas City isn't messing around this offseason. The Hitchens signing comes quickly on the heels of the Chiefs landing wide receiver Sammy Watkins to a three-year, $48 million deal. They still have some other needs on their roster to address, particularly along the secondary after trading away top cornerback Marcus Peters and releasing Parker. But the way they've started free agency is certainly a promising sign.